Indholdsfortegnelse for 2022-10-12 i Cape Argus

No load shedding, water or electricity bills THE government has come under fire for defending the provision of free water and electricity for Cabinet ministers living at state residences. In June this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa had approved a 3% salary increase for his executive, MPs, and MPLs, effectively ballooning ministers’ remuneration to R2 473 682 per annum, and their deputies’ salaries to R2 037 129. While ministers and their deputies did not pay for utilities like water and electricity, they were also not subject to load shedding while living at their official residences. Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) chairperson Wayne Duvenage said Ramaphosa and his cabinet’s freeloading on electricity, rent and water rates is “clearly an indication of how politicians continuously distance themselves from the…

Mitchells Plain police have opened an inquest docket following the death of a construction worker who fell into a manhole in Rocklands yesterday. Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said an initial police report revealed that the construction worker was part of a team working in a manhole. He said: “The one worker went to retrieve a suction bag which had become stuck. However, when he tried to exit the manhole, he collapsed. His co-worker then attempted to rescue him but was overcome by the gases, and also collapsed trying to get out.” Van Wyk said a third worker, identified as the foreman, then tried to help but was forced to abandon his rescue attempt due to the fumes. “The third person managed to raise the alarm and call for assistance.…

Lengthy negotiations at the CCMA between Transnet and the South African Transport and Allied Workers (Satawu) and United National Transport Union have led to an agreement on picketing sites, but the parties remain far apart on the issue of wages. The workers are striking for a wage increase of between 12% and 13%; port and rail company Transnet tabled a 3% wage increase. In Cape Town, the agreed picket sites are the Marine Drive Plaza entrance of the Transnet National Ports Authority and Transnet Port Terminals and at Transnet Park. In Saldanha the sites are the Saldanha main port entrance and the Saldanha A Yard parking area on Crex Road. After the talks, which adjourned in the early hours of yesterday, Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi, who was part of the…

Philippi Village is another example of how township economies can thrive through better supported and boosted entrepreneurs and their businesses. Philippi Village is an integrated, mixed-use development situated in Philippi, the brainchild of Bertha Foundation and the Business Place Philippi, and supported by The Township Project (TTP). The space has a diverse community of entrepreneurs and small business owners with retail, office and event space as well as sporting, educational and cultural facilities. TTP was established to assist township entrepreneurs while various hubs provide entrepreneurial support. The township economy – also referred to as the informal economy - is estimated to provide 17% of South Africa’s total employment and contributes around 6% to the country’s GDP. An R80 million investment from the Bertha Foundation and the Jobs Fund enabled the…

Violent protests flared up in Macassar over the ongoing power outages which had plunged the area into darkness in recent weeks. A group of residents in Firgrove took to the streets on Sunday and Monday and barricaded them. However, on Monday evening the protests turned violent and some residents burnt tyres and blocked the streets. While no damage to infrastructure was reported, ward councillor Peter Helfrich, who condemned the violent protests, said these actions by the frustrated community were expected as residents had become impatient with Eskom. Eskom attributed these numerous unplanned power cuts to a surge in theft and vandalism of equipment in recent months in Macassar. It said the problem was persisting and that it had been engaging law-enforcement and lobbying the support of the community to find…

Mark Boucher described the mood in the South African camp as “okay” following their 2-1 defeat in a one-day international series to a second-string India team yesterday. The Proteas were bowled out for just 99 in 27.1 overs as India surged to a seven-wicket victory in the third and decisive match in New Delhi. The series defeat pushed the South Africans even further away from an automatic qualifying spot for next year’s 50-over World Cup, while some scarring is likely to remain ahead of the T20 World Cup in Australia later this month. The Proteas play their first match in that competition against a qualifier at Bellerive Oval on October 24. “I think we are okay at the moment. It is disappointing to lose, but we’ve got a massive competition…

The cost of living has increased considerably in the aftermath of Covid lockdown restrictions. Consumers have seen a steep increase in consumer price inflation, a prolonged increasing trend in fuel prices, an interest rate upcycle with significantly shorter periods between increases and the highest unemployment rate globally. The rate people defaulted on their loans for the first time increased in the second quarter of 2022, according to Experian South Africa’s Consumer Default Index (CDI). The CDI increased quarter-on-quarter, moving from 3.68 in the first quarter of 2022 to 3.80 in the second. Year-on-year, however, an improvement was observed, moving from 4.05 in the second quarter of last year down to 3.80 in the same period in 2022, a relative improvement of 6%. Jaco van Jaarsveldt, head of Commercial Strategy…

Liverpool forward Luis Diaz is expected to be out until late December after picking up a knee injury in the first half of Sunday’s 3-2 Premier League loss at leaders Arsenal, it was reported on Monday. The 25-year-old Colombia international does not need surgery, but will likely miss 10 matches in Liverpool’s packed schedule ahead of the World Cup, which starts on November 20. The Reds will hope to have Diaz back for their visit to Aston Villa on December 26 in their first match after the World Cup, which Colombia have not qualified for. England defender Trent Alexander-Arnold also sustained ankle damage in Sunday’s match, and manager Jurgen Klopp said both injuries did not look good. “Lucho (Diaz), we had to change before (half-time). (It’s) something with the knee,…

The performance against Zebre Parma wasn’t perfect, but coach John Dobson praised the character of the Stormers in their 37-20 URC victory in Italy at the weekend. A polished display and 22 points from young inside centre Sacha Mngomezulu helped the Cape side overcome a spirited comeback, with the bonus-point try from the No 12 in the final stages the cherry on top and extend an incredible winning streak to 14. The Stormers won’t be at full-strength either for this Friday’s United Rugby Championship clash against Ospreys in Swansea (8.35pm kickoff), with Springboks Damian Willemse and Herschel Jantjies rested ahead of the Boks’ end-of-year tour to Europe. “My gratitude goes to those boys who play for 80 minutes and beyond the hooter in each match. You can’t coach that, and…

Robert Lewandowski has proven over the years that he guarantees goals, as long as he gets the ball. Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez is searching for answers to that problem, with his team’s form dipping at just the wrong moment, as they welcome Inter Milan and then face Real Madrid in the Clasico this week. The Italian side visit Camp Nou tonight in a near life-or-death Champions League clash, before Barca visit the Santiago Bernabeu in a battle to move clear at the top of La Liga. Coinciding with the team’s struggles, reflected by a 1-0 defeat at Inter last week and a shaky 1-0 win over Celta Vigo on Sunday, has been Lewandowski’s goal-rush drying up. After netting in six consecutive La Liga games, the Polish striker could not continue…

Red Bull’s breach of Formula One’s budget cap leaves some big questions to be answered by a governing body, whose handling of the sport is coming in for more criticism after the controversial end to last season. The FIA revealed on Monday that Red Bull, the team of now-double world champion Max Verstappen, had spent more than allowed in 2021. The breach was declared a “minor overspend”, less than 5% of the overall cap of $145million, but no financial details were given. How much they overspent is the key question. It could be tens of thousands or as much as $7.25m, which would be a significant amount in terms of track performance. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, whose team’s record run of eight constructors’ titles in a row is set to…

Author and former spy boss Ronnie Kasrils says the theatre masterpiece The Unlikely Secret Agent is an ode to his late wife, anti-apartheid activist Eleanor Kasrils. It is making its return to Baxter Theatre from October 20 to 29, before a national and international tour. Adapted into a play by award-winning actor and playwright Paul du Toit, The Unlikely Secret Agent brings to life a remarkable story of a young woman’s courage and daring at a time of increasing repression in apartheid South Africa. Eleanor, an unassuming young mother, is arrested at Griggs bookstore where she works in Durban. She is taken in for questioning. The police are on the hunt for her lover, the notorious “terrorist”, Red Ronnie Kasrils. She finds herself detained under the 90-day detention act and…

The family of Charlene October yesterday said her ex-husband, Ashley October, doesn’t deserve freedom after he was found guilty of her murder. In a decision that shocked both the State and defence, Judge Rosheni Allie on Monday handed down judgment in the matter just hours after October’s lawyer, Dorian van Zyl, submitted the latter part of his final arguments. Charlene’s sister Alexa said: “We’re so, so relieved that judgment was passed and that we can finally heal knowing my sister won’t just be a statistic. “She didn’t deserve anything he put her through, her children never deserved to be orphaned, my mom never should have laid her child to rest. I hope he spends the rest of his natural life in jail. He does not deserve freedom,” she said. Tashwell…

Mystery surrounds the ownership of a R45 million white elephant private property development project in Elsies River that could potentially house more than 200 people. Asked about the development and its ownership, a spokesperson for the City’s Urban Mobility; Spatial Planning and Environment directorate said: “This property is privately owned. You are therefore advised to direct your questions to the owner.” Provincial Human Settlements essentially said the same. The abandoned 276-unit Stay Junction development appears to have been abandoned in 2019 after a legal tussle over debt. At one point the development was advertised for auction but there are no details available as to whether the building was sold and the auctioneers BidX1 did not respond to our queries. The auction advert said in part that the four-storey property “consists…

City of Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and acting mayoral committee member for water and sanitation Siseko Mbandezi facilitated the handover yesterday of a state-of-the-art project at the Zandvliet Wastewater Treatment Works facility. The hefty R1.9 billion project, consisting of upgrades to the wastewater treatment facility, reached its biggest milestone with the completion of the new Membrane Biological Reactor (MBR), reportedly capable of treating wastewater to near drinking water standards. Hill-Lewis said the progress of the project was encouraging, as it advanced the City’s agenda to provide better sanitation services in Cape Town. He said: “We know that decent sanitation is the beginning of dignity, and so much of our capital budgets over the next few years are focused on sewer pipe, pump station and wastewater works upgrades.” The overall…

Lindiwe Sisulu and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma have strategically forged a partnership in the race for the positions of ANC presidency and deputy presidency. This is good news for women in South Africa. It is also good news for those with more progressive politics since Sisulu and Dlamini Zuma are outspoken about their pan-African, decolonisation ideology. This is a breath of fresh air, given the increasingly right-wing and draconian trajectory of the Ramaphosa faction. Sisulu has made her position clear when, in an unprecedented move for an ANC minister, she wrote an article, earlier this year, criticising the judiciary for its role in the colonial systems that prevail in a democratic South Africa – one that has kept the historically racial population in a master/slave trope, with most black people usurped…

The Springbok Women’s team have put their sobering 40-5 defeat to France behind them, and are determined to beat Fiji on Sunday in their second match of the World Cup (6.45am kick-off). To be frank, many people thought the Boks would lose by a bigger margin to the team ranked third in the world, and scrumhalf Rumandi Potgieter says the players have taken to the practice field packed with positivity. “We are really happy to be back on the training field – this is where we need to be right now,” said Potgieter. “When we looked at what went wrong against France, we realised there were a lot of good things we did, apart from a couple of poor options on defence that were exploited by France, who showed why…

A few days before the Cape Town Marathon, the organisers of Africa’s only gold-label race are confident the dream of “graduating” into a World Marathon Majors (WMM) race in 2025 is well within reach. “Becoming a World Marathon Majors race is akin to hosting a world championship event every year, with a massive economic impact on its host city, meaning more job opportunities, more international exposure, more tourism and more economic prosperity for our city,” said race director Renee Jordaan. “While we’re leaving no stone unturned to reach this goal, we will always keep the most important people on this journey – our runners – at the heart of every decision we make.” This year’s running of the race marks the event’s first year, as a candidate race as the…